Axial bearings of this type with detachable spacing members are used particularly in vehicle transmissions in the automotive industry. When such transmissions are assembled, such an axial bearing typically lies flat against a first transmission part. The associated other, second, transmission part is connected to the first transmission part by way of the axial bearing. The spacing member is selected after measurements have been carried out during one of the transmission assembly operations, i.e. its correct axial thickness is determined according to the dimensions to be observed for the spaced-apart transmission parts.
Such a generic axial bearing with a spacing member is already known from DE 39 14 175 A1. It is produced from a plastic and has an annular shape. Another generic axial bearing is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,979. The spacing member is again annular and is connected to an axial runner disk. As is shown by FIG. 12 of this prior application, two parts which can be rotated relative to one another are connected to one another by way of this axial bearing, the required distance between the two parts being determined by the axial bearing and by the spacing disk fastened thereto.
However, what happens in practice is that various differences always occur between the parts to be mounted, even in applications of the same type. That in turn means that these production-dictated tolerances, for example within a series of transmissions having the same dimensions, are different in each individual case. In other words, this varying spacing within a transmission series from component to component cannot be compensated by the axial bearing alone. In each individual case, the corresponding transmission has to be measured and the respective bearing has to be provided, depending on the resulting measurement, with a selected spacing member, so that the required tolerance is observed. That in turn means that a large number of spacing members which differ in their axial thickness must be kept available. According to the prior art, these spacing disks are produced from materials which all have a different initial thickness. It follows therefrom that, for tooling reasons alone, such a production of spacing members with different thicknesses is highly expensive.